Not Giving Up
by mood ink
Summary: Shikaino: Shikamaru and Ino are boyfriend and girlfriend. But then Shikamaru breaks up with her. How does Ino cope with it?
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto including the characters and etc.

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It was a bright and beautiful morning. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining. You could hear people whistling on the street. Everything about that morning could get anyone in a cheerful mood; anyone but Ino. For her, dark clouds were looming overhead that she could practically hear the thunder and see the lightning. Nothing in the world could make her feel better, well, almost nothing.

_Knock, knock_

-No answer-

"Princess? I know you're up. How about some breakfast?" said Inoichi from behind the door.

-Still no answer-

After about a minute, Inoichi entered the room and his eyes landed directly on the girl lying very still on the lavender bed, her eyes staring outside her window. He looked at her for a moment before making his way to the side of her bed.

"Sweetie?"

-Silence-

"It's 10 in the morning and you haven't eaten a thing."

-More silence-

"Are you in another one of those diets again? I thought Shikamaru'd convinced you to stop doing that kind of stuff?"

The mention of Shikamaru's name made Ino flinch. It was like a trigger and the painful memories came rushing into her mind.

/Flashback/

Sakura and Ino were having some girl talk in a restaurant near the Hokage's office right after their medic training. They were really enjoying their time together as best friends again though they still do call each other their silly and insulting nicknames.

"Hey Ino, isn't that Shikamaru?" the pink-haired girl said.

Ino turned to look at where Sakura was looking and for sure, Shikamaru really was there on the street beneath a lamp post. And he wasn't alone. Ino could make out a girl's figure in the light of the lamp post though the figure was partially obstructed by the figure of Shikamaru. They seemed to heading towards the restaurant.

"Ow! Ino, what are you-" "Sssh! Hide!" Ino said while pushing Sakura beneath their table.

Ino scanned the view outside the window, waiting for Shikamaru and the person he was with to pass by. But no one came, instead, she heard the restaurant's door swing open and wouldn't you know it, it was Shikamaru.

Ino pushed Sakura father more under the table and observed the couple that arrived.

"Ino." whispered Sakura

"What!?" Ino whispered back.

"I thought Shikamaru was your _boyfriend_? Why are you hiding from him like this!?"

"Because of _that_" Ino replied pointing at the person who was with Shikamaru.

Sakura peered from behind Ino and saw Shikamaru taking a seat and right across him was none other than Temari.

Ino frowned and was definitely starting to fume. Sakura could practically feel Ino's anger radiating from her.

"Ino, calm down. They probably just finished doing some examiner stuff and are having their dinner since they do work together."

"No, they're not." Ino hissed.

"And why not?"

"_Because_, Shikamaru had a mission, a solo mission and was due back tonight. So, they couldn't have come from work." she said through gritted teeth. "_And_, why is he with _her!_? Why didn't he come check on me first!? I'm his girlfriend!"

Sakura chose not to reply knowing Ino would most probably get angrier. Instead, she waited and waited til Ino was done talking and quietly led her outside making sure that Shikamaru wouldn't notice them.

"Why don't you head home, Ino? I think you need to rest."

"No! I need an explanation from him right now!" Ino was fuming. She began punching the wall across the restaurant hard, real hard.

"Ino?"

Ino stopped upon hearing that very familiar voice.

"What're you doing here?"

'I should be the one asking you that!' Ino thought without turning around to look at him, trying to control her anger.

She heard him talk to her but she could only make out the goodbyes at the end of their conversation. After a while, she heard him walk towards her but she still didn't turn around.

Shikamaru took a look at Sakura who looked at him back with a look he didn't quite understand. He turned to Ino and said, "Ino?"

"What." she answered flatly.

He could tell she was upset, he'd been with her long enough to tell. He sighed.

"Have you had dinner?"

Ino chose not to answer knowing she'd end up screaming and with them being quite near Tsunade's residence, she didn't want to face the Hokage's fury.

"I'll take your silence as a yes."

Ino bit her lower lip, trying so hard not to shout at him.

He sighed again.

"Let's go home then."

With that said, Ino started walking towards her house with Shikamaru following behind. Sakura just looked at her friends and sighed.

Shikamaru followed Ino in silence for a while but just when they were about to turn at Ino's street, Shikamaru grabbed her arm and said, "Ino...wait."

Ino stopped but didn't spare a glance his way at all.

"Why're you so upset?"

Ino scoffed. "Hah, and I thought you were a genius."

Shikamaru just raised an eyebrow at her. Ino considered things and thought that since they were quite a distance away from Tsunade's house now, she could start spilling everything.

"You're asking me, why I'm so upset!? Why it's because of that, that THING in the restaurant! You just came back from a mission and you're with HER!? I'm your GIRLFRIEND! You're supposed to come looking for ME, to tell me you're back! But _no_, you go to HER first! And you even take her out to dinner while I WAITED for you to come back!"

"Hah! You _waited_ for me!? For all I know, you were out _dating_ some other guy while I was gone! After all, what _am_ I to you!? Just some guy you could strut around Konoha with just to show them that you're not some loser with no boyfriend! You just come to me whenever you need something but you never have time for me! You're always too busy with something or someone else! You're so selfish, always thinking about yourself, never about me! For all I know, you've been dating guys every time I was out on missions! And you know what? Fine! Go date some other guys! I'll go find someone who actually has time for me, someone who appreciates me! Someone like Temari!"

"What!? Shika-Shikamaru--!" but Ino was too late, Shikamaru had already stormed off. She looked down at her feet and felt the tears in her eyes as Shikamaru's words kept playing in her mind over and over again. She ran towards her home, burst into her room and jumped into her bed crying. Her dad was probably going to get mad at her for slamming doors but she didn't care. She was in too much pain right now.

She never knew that Shikamaru felt that way, neglected, unappreciated. She thought she was doing fine for a girlfriend but Shikamaru was right. She really had neglected him. She was always out with Sakura or the other ninjas. Though he was wrong about the part about her dating other guys, he was right about everything else. She really had been selfish, always wanting to have her way.

It hurt her so much, knowing that she had done that to the person she loved the most and knowing that Temari had done better than her at doing all the stuff Shikamaru had wanted from her. And now she was left here with nothing but the tears and the pain.

/End of flashback/


	2. Inoichi's Point Of View

Ino felt the tears coming so she hurriedly said, "Daddy, could you please just...leave me alone for a few minutes?" She tried hard to control her tone of voice so that her dad wouldn't sense the pain. But her dad still heard it yet he gave into what she wanted and quietly left.

It had been almost a month since what had happened and though Ino hadn't told her dad, he knew. From the stifled sobs he kept hearing from her room almost every night, to the times like that one when he had to coax her to eat something.

Inoichi was every inch concerned for his daughter but he also understood Shikamaru's side. He had seen them, everything Shikamaru did for his daughter. And everything his daughter did to Shikamaru. The times he'd come over to help in taking care of Ino whenever she was sick. And the times Ino stood him up during dates as he waited hours for her at her home while Ino was out with her friends. He'd tried to talk to his daughter about it but she hardly listened. And he didn't want to intervene, he knew his beloved daughter was big enough to know what she was doing. And he still didn't want to intervene now, he knew she was big enough to know what she had to do, even though it was hurting him a lot.


	3. Chouji

Ino was sobbing in her room as she remembered everything.

She had tried to walk up to Shikamaru more than once to talk but she never did take it, seeing him with her. She always lost nerve because every time she tried, she'd catch him with her. So, then she decided to avoid all the places he frequented. She'd even check before going inside an establishment because she knew she'd breakdown the moment she'd see them.

Yes, she really was a mess.

_Knock, knock_

"Daddy, please...just a few more minutes." she said controlling her tone again.

"It's me, Ino, Chouji."

"I'm sorry, Chouji. I'm not feeling well so some other time," she said fighting back the sobs. But Chouji still went inside. He squatted on her floor beside her bed.

"Ino--"

"Chouji, please..." Ino said, fighting back the sobs even more.

"Ino, do you really love Shikamaru?"

Ino flinched and hid her face under her pillow so that Chouji wouldn't hear her crying.

"Are you giving up on him? Are you really going to let Temari have him?"

Ino clutched her pillow and buried her face more into it.

"Back when you were all for Sasuke, you gave everything, you never gave up. You even lost Sakura as a friend then. And as far as I know, you never really loved Sasuke. But now that you're all for Shikamaru, whom you really love, you're giving up already?"

Chouji paused, waiting for Ino to respond but when she didn't, he stood up.

"Look, Ino. Even if he might not choose you, even if you might get hurt in the process, I don't think you should go down without fighting. Tell him how you feel, tell him everything he is to you. But if in the end, he still chooses Temari, be happy for him. At least he'll know that you really did love him, that everything wasn't a lie."

And Chouji left her there to think about what he had said.

Ino and Shikamaru were both his teammates and were both his friends and he didn't like to see his friends like that. Chouji knew Ino really loved Shikamaru and he also knew that Shikamaru really did love Ino back then but he wasn't sure about now. He didn't want to talk to Shikamaru about Ino. He tried once and the output was so ugly he didn't want to try again. He wished everything would turn out well in the end.


	4. Ino's Decision

Back in Ino's room...

Ino thought about what Chouji had just told her. Chouji was right. Back when she was younger, when she was chasing after Sasuke, she gave everything she could to win. She made her bestfriend her enemy and she never held back whenever it came to competing over Sasuke. For her, Sasuke was the ultimate prize. The best of the best. And since she was the best girl, she believed she deserved nothing less. But...that was way back then.

Now, Shikamaru meant everything to her. Though he wasn't exactly the best of the best in the world's eyes, he was the best for her. He was the perfect fit for her.

'Am I really giving up on him already?', she thought to herself.

"No, I shouldn't...I won't. I refuse to give up just like that!" she answered herself.

She hurriedly took a shower and changed her clothes. She'd decided. She wouldn't allow herself to go down without fighting to the bitter end.

She grabbed a sandwich and quickly munched it while heading out her door. And just across their door was Chouji. Ino paused for a moment while Chouji gave her a small smile saying, "He's at the village gates, getting ready to leave for a mission. You better hurry."

She smiled at him and gave him a brief hug before rushing to the gates of Konoha.


	5. Fight On, Ino

At the Konoha gates...

"All right, those are the last few instructions for you from Master Tsunade. I bid you well in your mission." said an Anbu before poofing to who knows where.

"Tsk, yeah, whatever." Shikamaru replied.

"Come on, let's go. So that we can cover more ground." said Temari.

Shikamaru picked up his bag and was headed out the gates of Konoha when..."Shikamaru! Wait!"...he heard a very familiar voice.

Shikamaru stopped in his tracks but he couldn't face her. He felt frozen in place.

"I...I'm sorry! For everything! For taking you for granted, for not having had time for you! I'm really sorry!"

Ino could feel the tears coming.

"I know I was a horrible girlfriend, I know that you didn't deserve to be treated like that..."

She fought back a sob.

"But let me tell you this!" The tears were freely falling now. "I really did love you! I loved you then, and I still love you now! I know I hardly made you feel it but I really do! You mean everything to me! And as much as I want to have you back, but if you're happier with her...I'll let you go."

Ino ran as hard as she could away from the Konoha gates, away from him.

Shikamaru turned around but she was gone. His whole body wanted to go after her but he had to go. He had a mission to accomplish. He ran, side by side Temari but Ino's words kept playing back in his head.


	6. Temari

It had been almost two days since Shikamaru left for his mission...

Most of Temari and Shikamaru's journey was in silence.

"You know, that girl, she really loves you." Temari suddenly spoke up.

He stopped and looked at her, questioning her.

"I know you felt it, the sincerity in her words and the sincerity in her heart when she told you she loved you."

Shikamaru continued walking, looking like he was ignoring her but Temari knew he was listening, because she was right. She just walked beside him.

"Look, I know we've been trying to work out as a couple. But you know that I look at you as a comrade, as a friend in arms. And I also know that you really love her too."

-Silence-

"When you get back to Konoha, try to work things out with her. It's not everyday that you get to meet a person who really loves you and whom you love back."

Just as Temari finished her statement, they reached the border between Konoha and Suna where a ninja from Suna was waiting for them with a big package.

"Welcome back Miss Temari. I presume this is the Leaf ninja who will take this package back to the Hokage." spoke up the Sand nin.

"Yes, he is." she replied.

The Sand nin then hands Shikamaru the package which he was to safely deliver to Tsunade.

"Think about what I told you." Temari said to Shikamaru before heading for Suna.

Shikamaru then began heading back for Konoha.


	7. Sweet Memory

It was the last night of Shikamaru's mission, he was going to arrive in Konoha the next day by sunset.

He had just finished eating his dinner and Shikamaru put off his fire. He then went inside his sleeping bag to get a good night's sleep. He had set pretty much enough if not too much traps around his camp earlier so he wasn't worried about any danger. He had shoved the package into his sleeping bag earlier.

Shikamaru was rather tired. The sun had been insanely hot that day and the package wasn't exactly light either. He wondered what was inside the thing.

He placed his hands beneath his head and looked up at the stars which suddenly reminded him of a very wonderful night.

/Flashback/

It was a very beautiful starry night.

Shikamaru was on his favorite hill just about to stand up to head home when a blond-haired girl walked up to him and sat beside him.

"Hey" she said, her voice surprisingly not in its usual high pitch.

He didn't reply.

"Don't leave yet, ok? Let's look at the stars, they look particularly amazing tonight." she said turning to him, a surprisingly sweet smile on her face.

He stared at her for the umpteenth time that day.

She lay down beside him. Her long golden locks spreading around her head as she did. He continued to stare at her.

After a few moments, she turned to him and stared at him back.

As he stared at her cerulean eyes, Shikamaru realized he'd found the answer to the question that had been bothering him for a very long time now.

"Ino...I think I...I love you."

Just as he finished saying that, his minds gears turned and he knew that Ino was most probably going to knock him unconscious for what he just did.

But he was wrong. Instead, Ino just smiled at him, placed her hand on his cheek and replied, "I know...I feel the same way."

/End of flashback/


End file.
